Kollam Port to get ₹7.24 crore push from Centre in berth development project: Why it matters

The Kollam Port is all set to receive ₹7.24 crore from the Union government as a part of the push to revamp the one of the largest ports in Kerala.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, announced the move in an August 7 written response to Lok Sabha MP from Kollam, N.K. Premachandran.

Funded under the MoPSW's flagship Sagarmala Programme for port-led development, Sonowal explained that the ₹7.24 crore grant would provide a boost to the Kerala government's ₹15.15 crore project to develop the minor port under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

Specifically, the project that has received in-principle approval from the Kerala government involves the development of a multi-purpose berth. As a part of this Sagarmala project, the Centre's funds will be used for the construction of ancillary facilities, such as a wharf measuring 101m in length and 21m in width.

The state government is also working to create a detailed project report on development models best suited to the specific requirements and potential of the Kollam Port, as the development of minor ports, in general, is a key part of its ₹400 crore 'Mission Samudra' plan for transforming Kerala into a port state.

Other among the state's 17 minor ports that are under the lens of the state government include the Azhikkal, Kollam, Beypore and Kodungallur ports, where—like with Kollam—the onus is on supporting coastal cargo movement, port-based industries, logistics, and ship-related activities.

Yet, it must be recalled that Mission Samudra does not end at developing the state's ports, but also linking them with other major and minor ports, industrial zones, and greenfield cities to form a unified maritime economy.